Painter and draughtsman Christine Wrest-Smith studied at Monash University, with a semester at the Prato, Italy. Her realistic paintings and drawings are an exploration of personal territory using the birds nest as a metaphor to examine the process of construction, shelter and space. Each nest is a combination of strength and fragility, its individual characteristics beautifully rendered in paint or charcoal. Wrest-Smith varies her technique to match the personality of the individual nest, those put together with haste are loosely drawn, while those which were meticulously constructed are built up with precise layers of paint as they would have been made with exacting layers of twigs. What began as construction by one being has now become an expression through the process of construction by another. Wrest-Smith’s works have been exhibited in Melbourne and Italy. She was awarded the Savage Club Prize in 2010 and the Masterworks Contemporary Art Prize in 2011. She has completed several portrait commissions and her work is held in public and private collections.
PAST EXHIBITIONS
Birds and nests are a central theme in your work. Could you tell us a bit about what draws you …
Rona Green In Fine Fettle opens Wednesday 17 October from 5.30pm to 7pm at Solander Gallery, 218 Willis Street, Wellington, …
Congratulations to Christine Wrest-Smith, who is a Finalist in the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award with her exquisite ‘Portait of …
A friendship and artistic collaboration has grown in the gardened suburb of Surrey Hills over the course of the last …
